I often hear my colleagues say they felt jet-lagged after switching from night shift to day shift hours on their days off. You may have felt jet lag before, right? If not, I’m sure you’ve heard it kind of stinks. We risk chronic long term health effects of sleep deprivation and fatigue – if we alter our sleep cycle too often… Some people eat terribly, while others enjoy the Keto diet (click to explore) or try intermittent fasting (again, click to check out our sister post) to lose weight and live a healthier lifestyle. How we behave and the things we do while on nights are all different. Again, I normally hate this answer so let me dive in a little deeper here. The truth though is this tricky adjustment time is different for everyone. Sometimes I wish it would hurry up, especially when working rotational shifts as an ER nurse! I’m talking about whether I’m switching from night shift to day shift or day night to night shift. How Long Does It Really Take for Your Body to Get Into a Rhythm? Night Shift Workers Body Clock Adjustment There is no way for your body to know what’s to come. Rotational shift workers probably have the hardest time here because there is no system. Our stress hormone cortisol is up the spout and our body temperature, which normally cools during the night to preserve energy, is throwing its hands in the air wondering what the heck is going on!Īn interesting study I checked out recently states that the shorter the time in-between ‘swaps,’ the harder it is for your body to adjust. Our sleep hormones, namely melatonin, don’t know what to do. You may already know this, but our body clocks are triggered by the light and dark signals.Īs we are programmed to be asleep during the night and be awake during the day, we’re confusing everything. It’s harder for your body clock to adjust with the constant swaps from night shift to day shift Let’s explore each of these points a little further.
So, is there anything wrong with switching back to normal hours on your days off?
However, did my husband Dan stick to a night shift schedule on his days off when working a permanent night shift roster? Again. I work a rotating roster so that doesn’t work at all for me. I hate that answer so let me explain.Īs an ER nurse, to say I always remain on a night shift schedule on my days off would be a lie. Is there anything wrong with switching your sleeping schedule back to day-time hours on your days off, when working night shift? Best Practice for Night Shift Workers During Days Off Let’s look into what this means for your health, body clock and social life and explore what we can do about it. If we keep changing our sleeping pattern, our body’s internal biological clock doesn’t have time to adjust. Rotating shift workers should stick to a sleeping pattern that’s conducive with their future shifts. Going to bed at 3am and waking at 12pm works well on days off. Should I stick to a night shift sleeping schedule on my days off? Permanent night shift workers should stay on a night shift sleeping schedule as it provides consistency for your body clock.
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